A St. Petersburg memorial plaque dedicated to the Russian Civil War figure Admiral Kolchak may receive a special covering to protect it from vandalism. The plaque, which was installed on Nov. 12 by the historical-cultural center "White Cause," marks a house in which the "officer, explorer, and scientist" once lived.
Arkady Gumanyuk, the head of the memorial project, plans to hold an opening ceremony next year.
Concerns about vandalism may have been inspired by the case of another memorial plaque in St. Petersburg, which was removed in October after being repeatedly vandalized. That plaque was dedicated to Marshal Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim, a Finn who once served the Tsarist Russian army and later commanded the Finnish army against Soviet forces in 1939.
Admiral Alexander Kolchak was a leader in Russia's anti-Bolshevik White movement during the Russian Civil War. He established an anti-Communist government in Siberia and was briefly internationally recognized as the leader of Russia. Kolchak was eventually betrayed by his own forces and turned over to the Bolsheviks, who executed him. While Kolchak remains popular among certain Russian nationalists, he still remains a controversial figure in Russia today.
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